The present invention relates to a method for operating a processing device, to a processing device and to a control unit, a field device and an exchange signal generator for such a processing device and to a computer program.
As a rule, processing devices such as, e.g. fire or burglary alarm systems consist of one or also a number of, often decentralized control units and a number of distributed field devices such as, e.g. sensors and/or actuators. For a multiplicity of reasons, it may be necessary to exchange one of the field devices, e.g. because one field device is defective.
From DE 101 27 057 A1, an alarm signaling sender is known which is constructed of modules, the modules being connected via a bus. In this arrangement, the modules can be inserted and/or removed during the operation of the alarm signaling sender. According to DE 101 27 057 A1, it is provided that during the removal of a module during the operation, for example, monitoring circuits ensure that no overvoltages would occur. If, in contrast, a module is inserted, it is provided, according to DE 101 27 057 A1 that the module registers with the alarm sender.
The physical removal of a field device, as a rule, leads to the processing device containing the field device generating and displaying a fault message. Due to the electrical cabling of the control units and of the field devices, it may also occur that the removal of an individual field device separates several other field devices from their electrical power supply. This may be the case, e.g. with field-bus cabling.
Before exchanging a field device, it is known to switch the processing device or at least individual components (e.g. an individual field bus) off completely or to put them into a separate maintenance mode in which no fault message is generated and displayed in the case of a missing field device. The consequence is that the components switched off such as, e.g. individual field devices of the processing device, no longer fulfill their original function.
If a defective field device has been replaced by a new operable field device, the new field device must be connected to the processing device and subsequently configured. This is done manually or automatically when, e.g., a field device of identical construction is inserted and all field devices are configured by the control unit when they are taken into operation and no initial commissioning of the field devices is required.
There is, therefore, a requirement for reducing the amount of effort in the case of an exchange of a field device of a processing device.